The present invention relates to a dispensing carton for paper sheet products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a carton that provides reduced dynamic friction between the carton and the sheets during dispensing, resulting in easier dispensing and less tearing of the paper sheets during dispensing, particularly for the uppermost sheets that are contained in the carton.
It is known to dispense creped paper sheet products such as substantially dry facial tissues or substantially dry paper towels for household use from a carton with a dispensing opening formed in the top of the carton. The use of the word xe2x80x9csubstantially dryxe2x80x9d herein is intended to distinguish such sheets from those sheet products that are impregnated with some type of lotion, which are generally referred to as xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmoistxe2x80x9d sheet products. Thus, it should be understood that the dry sheets of the present invention may not actually be 100% dry but may be impregnated with a small amount of lotion or liquid. However, the sheets of the present invention do not typically have a wet or moist feeling in the hand of the user.
Such conventional cartons are available in a variety of designs and shapes; but they can generally be classified as either one of two basic styles. One style is the flat carton and the other is the upright carton. In the flat style cartons, the sheets are laid flat in the bottom of the carton and are withdrawn from the top of the carton or through an opening in the top which partially extends down the front sidewall. The sheets within the carton may interfolded for pop-up dispensing or merely laid on top of each other for reach-in dispensing. In the upright style cartons, the sheets are folded into an inverted unshaped clip and are interfolded for pop-up dispensing. The sheets are withdrawn through a dispensing opening in the top of the carton, which may contain a poly film having a slit to hold the consecutively popped up tissues in place.
In upright type cartons, xe2x80x9cfall-back,xe2x80x9d which occurs as the clip in the carton gets low and the distance from the uppermost sheet to the opening in the top of the carton gets longer, is typically not a problem. In upright cartons, the inverted un-shaped clip maintains all of the sheets within the clip in close proximity to the top opening all times. However, tearing of the sheets upon removal from the carton is a concern because of the frictional forces and pressures associated with the inverted clip being pressed up against the walls of the carton and the intra-sheet contact. These resistive forces can cause the sheets to tear as they are pulled through the dispensing opening. This is particularly true for the first few sheets dispensed after the carton is opened. The problem is lessened as the sheets within the carton are used up and the compression of the clip is reduced.
It has been suggested that one solution to the problem of sheet tears during dispensing is to reduce the number of paper sheets contained in the clip that is packed into the carton. This reduces the pressure associated with the inverted clip being pressed up against the walls of the carton and the intra-sheet contact; the sheets behave as they would after at least some of the sheets have been used up. This, however, is not a cost-effective solution, especially from the viewpoint of the consumers who purchase the cartons.
Another proposed solution is to modify the dispensing opening such that it has a defined xe2x80x9ceffective open areaxe2x80x9d or area available for the tissue sheet to pass through the plastic film that covers the opening. See, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,320, xe2x80x9cUpright Facial Tissue Carton,xe2x80x9d to North et al. on May 16, 1995. However, such a carton may require attention to manufacturing tolerance and requires that a plastic film be used to cover the dispensing opening. In addition, this carton does not appear to have any effect on the frictional forces between the side walls of the carton and the facial tissue sheets, but instead offers a different approach to dispensing.
Thus, there remains a desire to provide cost-effective, easy, and tear-free dispensing of a variety of creped paper sheet products from a pop-up dispensing carton, without the need to reduce the number of sheets per clip that can be packaged in the carton. None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.
The present invention relates to a dispensing carton containing a clip of interfolded sheets of a paper product, comprising: (a) a top wall having a dispensing opening through which the sheets are withdrawn from the carton; (b) two pairs of opposing side walls; (c) a bottom wall; (d) a dynamic friction reduction material affixed to at least a portion of the inner surfaces of at least one of the pairs of opposing side walls; wherein the dispensing force required to dispense a sheet from the carton is reduced.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present disclosure.